Vintage and Classic Menswear

Pitti Peacocks

Even though Christmas is done, there’s one holiday that stylish men look forward to every January in Firenze: Pitti Uomo.

For those of you who don’t know, Pitti Immagine Uomo is a bi-annual trunk show in Florence, Italy where different brands, bloggers, designers, and buyers come together to look at the upcoming season’s pieces. There are actual fashion shows and booths where transactions are taking place but from what the pictures show, it seems to be a place where stylish men get their pictures taken while laughing, talking on their phone, or sitting on the iconic stone wall.

Out on the plaza, you get the entire spectrum of menswear. You’ve got classically tailored and styled gentlemen, with sharp double breasted suits and leather shoes. Then you get streetwear and couture people, mixing in a creative take on classic men’s fashion. And last but not least, you get the pitti peacocks, who are everywhere in between. You could peacock with a bright yellow suit, a Pepsi sweater, or some crazy accessories. Last year men’s bracelets were definitely in, and many a gent would havefour or five on one wrist. A satirical video by Mr. Porter sums up what exactly the Pitti Peacocks are all about.

Now Pitti isn’t open to the public; you need to be apart of the industry or official press to attend. Even though it is a dream of mine to go, I can still get into the spirit! Here are a few outfits from us that are inspired by the extravagance of the event.

Rajesh

If you look at the old blog posts, Rajesh was a very conservative dresser and I was the more experimental one. Now the tide has turned; I have gone back to my classic roots while Rajesh is getting his inner peacock on! Here he is wearing three patterns at once: thin-ribbed corduroy, a hawaiian tie from our REVO line, and navy camo trousers. Pitti Peacock indeed.

I’ve recently gotten some flack for the tie-tuck, but it’s absolutely practical. Rajesh is a short guy and many times the tie is much too long. Instead of tying a bigger knot (which is a fallacy), he just tucks that bad boy right in.

Oh and if you’re wondering where Rajesh got his jacket from, he picked it up in the kid’s section at Nordstrom Rack. As a guy who wears a size 32S suit size, that may be the only place you can get clothes! No one will notice if it fits perfectly!

Can’t be a pitti outfit without some sockless-ness going on! I don’t think this trend is going anywhere anytime soon.

Vintage Tie Bar, Loafers from Nordstrom, Sunglasses from Oliver People

Ethan

Pitti Uomo is all about menswear with a twist. So I went with a bit of a 1970’s pimp outfit for this: classic linen pinstripe DB suit with an ulster coat and black fedora ( both featured later). Compared to other outfits at Pitti, this is definitely a tame one. There you’ll normally see star-print pants or other types of creative tailoring. I love to stand out but that amount of peacocking just isn’t me. However, I’ve got that high-waisted look down. I’ve seriously got to post my review of this Indochino custom suit soon!

Turtlenecks have definitely been “en vogue” as of late and combining them with a DB is a slick way to go. The main thing that I love about a turtleneck is that it is instantly much more functional than a normal sweater. It keeps your body and your neck warm for those chilly winter days. Wearing it with a linen DB gets the best of both worlds!

Time to kick it up a notch with some true Pitti Style: the overcoat and fedora.

Like I said before, this is pretty tame compared to the other pitti peacocks! Normally you’d see a plaid coat or ones with roped shoulders, á la Mr. Mararo. Here, I’ve got a simple grey overcoat that I’ve worn before. Normally you’d get a much bolder pattern on a coat.

I know we’ve been featuring coats pretty often on the blog, but you can’t deny how cool it looks when paired with a suit. This “ulster coat” and it’s large lapels give that extra edge to the already sleek outfit.

Check out some of my favourite attendees of Pitti Uomo 89! They aren’t exactly peacocking, but their style is truly one of a kind.

Angel Ramos from @Angel_Bespoke

Angel (on the right)with a pinstripe suit and a gorgeous orange coat. Looks like I was right to go with a pinstripe suit and fedora!

Khaled Nasr from @sartoriamerta

Here’s the sharply dressed entrepreneur no doubt wearing his Sciamat jacket and Angel Bespoke Trousers. It may be January, but white pants look good all year round, especially when combined with a heavier, textured sport coat. Like my preferred way of cheeseburgers, Mr. Nasr is always well done.

Mark and Marlon from @thebespoketwins

with Mr. Raro from @mararomrraro

Some fantastic gentlemen here. The Bespoke Twins Mark and Marlon have been in business over 20 years and yet their style remains timeless. I definitely love their hunting influence with their patch pockets (and one with a button flap) which is combined with their elegant italian inspiration with their wide peak lapels. I definitely love the combination of orange and blue. Check out their instagram; they’ve been wearing some awesome checked pieces throughout the event.

Mr. Raro is surprisingly subdued in this outfit. His shoulders are not as raised or are as “neo-Victorian” as he normally is, and I really like it. I love how he coordinates his tie color with his shoes.

Benedikt Fries @perfettobenedetto

Benedikt from the German tie company Shubumi-Berlin always looks sharp in more classically styled pieces. I follow him on instagram and tumblr to see his adventures with his business partner Niels. This is Benedikt’s outfit from Day One with a green donegal tweed suit, plaid vest, and OCBD. I love his collar roll. It definitely makes his tie prominent.

Gennaro Annunziata from @g_annunziata with

Alfonso from @alfonso_defrancesco

What did I tell you about turtlenecks? They look amazing! The guys from CHIAIA look absolutely kick-ass in their monochromatic outfits. Take a careful look at their DB. It’s a 1×1 with some sharp peak lapels. These guys, along with the previously mentioned Mr. Raro, simply exude real Italian style.

Mark and Jake from @thearmouryhk

It’s hard to beat the gentleman from The Armoury, a dual location (NY and HK) haberdashery that has crafted amazing relationships with some of the best bespoke shops in the world. They’ve inspired me to return to looser tailored classics (along with Chad Park); the drape cut is really coming back. Jake Grantham is on the left, with an awesome grey flannel DB suit. Try to check out his shirt: that’s a long button down collar. Mark Cho is on the right, with a 1960’s inspired number from Tailor CAID, a Japanese bespoke shop dedicated to vintage americana ivy-trad style. With a denim shirt and navy tie, Mark wins my favour by combining my favourite colors of brown and blue. Unfortunately, Alan See is the one taking the picture. He’s got some great style as well!

As you can see, none of these guys are as flashy as some of the others in attendance. However, this is no time to judge. Pitti Uomo is about the entire spectrum of menswear. Some people may enjoy it while others mull over the “decline of menswear” in recent years. However, I look upon it with positivity. I am constantly impressed with the different takes on classic menswear pieces, whether its a revolutionary design or an interesting print! This idea of personal style and ideas on menswear is what Street x Sprezza is all about. Here’s some street style I found from Buro 247, a Russian Fashion website. Just look at the diverse styles!

Pitti has been an inspiration to my style for years. In fact, only a year ago, my style was reminiscent of many of the peacocks! I was all the rage for pastels, colors, and prints. Now, I’ve become much more mature and I look to the classics for inspiration.

Big thanks to Rajesh for being apart of this post! All other pictures are owned by their respective owners. I suggest you check them all out on Instagram. Be sure to look at #pittiuomo to find some pictures on IG or Tumblr. You can also look at some awesome galleries, like the one at A&H Magazine shot by the fabulous Mr. Neil Watson, along with the other links throughout the article.

If you want to look at older years of Pitti Uomo and want some great commentary, check out the Gentleman’s Gazette! There is always inspiration in the many outfits of the buyers, tailors, and designers at Pitti Uomo. One day I hope to be there!